ONE Championship: What’s next for Adriano Moraes after another victory over Demetrious Johnson?

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Bengaluru, July 27: No one has come close to defeating ONE Flyweight World Champion Adriano Moraes since he reclaimed the belt at ONE: HERO'S ASCENT in January 2019. Not even mixed martial arts legend Demetrious Johnson gave the Brazilian a stiff challenge for the throne.

"Mikinho" knocked out "Mighty Mouse" with a knee to the face in their first encounter at "ONE on TNT I." A year after that contest, Moraes and Johnson will meet again inside the Circle for the main event of ONE Fight Night 1 on 27 August.

Though he defeated the 12-time MMA World Champion convincingly, many combat sports fans think another victory over Johnson will validate his first win. However, losing to the AMC Pankration and Evolve MMA representative could lead to a trilogy.

But if he continues to stamp his dominance at flyweight with another resounding triumph over Johnson, Moraes did not hide his intention of chasing a ONE World Title in higher weight classes.

"Maybe after this fight, I'm going to look at other weight divisions. I have my fellow Brazilians to compete with for the belt," Moraes said during the press conference for ONE Championship's partnership with Prime Video at The Novo in Los Angeles, California.

"I like to challenge myself and think I can do that. Maybe I'm going to look to compete for a title at a different weight."

Jumping into the ONE bantamweight division is the most logical transition for Moraes because it is the next weight class after flyweight. Choosing to compete there means he may inevitably compete against his compatriots in ONE Bantamweight World Champion John Lineker and #1-ranked contender Fabricio Andrade.

While Moraes welcomes the challenge of competing at a higher weight class, he will focus on his impending rematch with Johnson first. Another resounding defeat of the American means that he has nothing left to prove at flyweight.

After all, he has won the championship belt three times and conquered every opponent. But before exploring another chapter in his storied career, he would like to ensure that he will dominate Johnson again.

ONE Championship returns to action with ONE 160: Ok vs. Lee II on August 26 at the Singapore Indoor Stadium. ONE Lightweight World Champion Ok Rae Yoon will make his first title defense in a rematch against former titleholder Christian Lee, while, ONE Featherweight World Champion Thanh Le defends against #1-ranked contender Tang Kai.

Source: Media Release